“The moon was split ( into two pieces ) while we were with the Prophet (ﷺ) in Mina. He said, “Be witnesses.” Then a Piece of the moon went towards the mountain.” (Bukhari 3869)

Like the expression goes “From the mouth of babes,” we have glimpses of insight into life. 20 years ago, still not quite a Sunni Muslim, I was walking with my friend asking him questions about the religion. Eager to learn, I asked him “What miracles did Prophet Muhammad do?” to which he responded, “Prophet Muhammad split the moon.”

My face lit up, and I got excited! This was a fantastic revelation to me. This was concrete, substantial evidence that the religion was true. I eagerly said, “That’s amazing! So there must have been other cultures who saw the moon being split and recorded it, right? This must have been one of the world-changing events of the 7th century, a major event in world history that all of humanity recorded this incredible sight of splitting the moon.” It’s interesting that even back then I felt that evidence was valuable. That’s why I was eventually able to see my way through Islam.

People sometimes wonder, “Are you atheist because you are angry at God?” Did something happen to you that you are not able to accept? Maybe the loss of a loved one, a bad life situation, or maybe you missed out on life because you were too religious or because you hate to submit? Maybe you are sad or depressed and need counselling?

The default position is we should ask for evidence when someone makes a claim. Muhammad asked for our absolute obedience. We know many liars and frauds have made this claim of being God’s chosen one for their own personal benefit. So what should we believe?

Here are some of the worrying signs that we find in the Quran that indicate Muhammad made it up:

One of the most personal and recognizable parts of your identity is your name. From the moment you are a child until the moment you die, you are referred to by your name. Yet strangely, for most of us, we did not choose our name. Our parents gave us our names and yet most of us accept this wholeheartedly.

Are names the exclusive property of religions? This post will discuss one of the most common things Exmuslims are told: “Change your name you aren’t Muslim anymore”